Re: How To Fix And Maintain Your Outdoor Gear
Ralph Oborn <[email protected]>
| Newsgroups | gmane.culture.backpacking.light |
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| Message-ID | <CAE-buNum8XoLSWd89NEMSApRjo5Ge7eucg28jdr4jj=qBi3Evg@mail.gmail.com> |
Try some alcohol based waterless hand cleaner on the sap. It has removed pine gum for me. Ralph On Fri, Oct 26, 2012 at 8:25 AM, Roleigh <[email protected]> wrote: > > > a nice book to add to your stack, I've done plenty of gear repair on the > trail (mostly never elegant) while on my 26 day annual JMT hike. > > > > Sent to you by Roleigh via Google Reader: > > > How To Fix And Maintain Your Outdoor Gear<http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheGearcaster/~3/2jVnLF136lk/complete-guide-to-outdoor-gear-maintenance-and-repair.html> > via the GearCaster <http://www.thegearcaster.com/the_gearcaster/> by Amy > Jurries on 10/25/12 > > [image: Complete Guide To Outdoor Gear Maintenance And Repair]<http://www.thegearcaster.com/.a/6a01156f7533eb970c017d3cfcf4c2970c-pi> > > <http://www.thegearcaster.com/.a/6a01156f7533eb970c017d3cfcf4c2970c-pi>Kristin > Hostetter knows a thing or two about gear. As Backpacker Magazine's Gear > Editor for over 15 years, Kristin has put thousands of products through > their paces. To share her wealth of experience and knowledge, Kristin wrote > a book called the Complete Guide to Outdoor Gear Maintenance and Repair<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0762778318/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0762778318&linkCode=as2&tag=thegea-20>, > filled with gear tips, fix-it techniques, and advice from the trail. > > It's all well and easy to read about the proper gear repair technique but > the reality is not always as kind. For the book, Kristin wanted to use real > world situations, so had readers send in their broken and battered gear for > her to fix. Real world, real people, real gear problems. The book hits on > all the basic backpacking related gear, from fabric and zipper repair to > camping stoves and footwear. > > Kristin not only provides fix-it tips for the most common gear problems, > but will recommend how to choose new gear if yours is beyond hope or you > are the gear obsessed type who wants to test out the latest and greatest. > Pulled from her years of experience, Kristin also offers up helpful trail > tips such as putting dots of Seam Grip along your sleeping pad to keep from > sliding off at night (who knew!) > > To properly test out the Complete Guide, I decided to take some of my own > broken gear and see if I could follow the advice to fix it myself. Would it > really be as easy as Kristin makes it look in the book? > > From day one of purchase, I have encountered problems with my Jetboil > igniter. If I would have read this book before taking my Jetboil on its > inaugural backpacking trip over a year ago, I would not have been stuck > sucking on dry coffee grounds to get my caffeine hit. To fix the igniter > problem, all I had to do was grab the pliers on my multi-tool and gently > coerce the electrode back towards the burner. This has now become part of > my regular routine before cooking on my backpacking trips. > > [image: Remove sap from hiking pants]<http://www.thegearcaster.com/.a/6a01156f7533eb970c017d3cfcfc0c970c-pi> > > <http://www.thegearcaster.com/.a/6a01156f7533eb970c017d3cfcfc0c970c-pi>Ever > since my backpacking trip to Yosemite<http://www.thegearcaster.com/the_gearcaster/2011/06/backpacking-yosemites-north-rim.html>with Columbia, my hiking pants have been covered in sap. Kristin suggests > sticking your pants in the freezer for a few hours for the sap to harden > where you can crumble off the larger chunks. After a little scrubbing with > some nail polish remover on the remaining gunk, I can now say the sap is > gone and I am hoping the sap stain will eventually wash out. > > Although most of us quickly turn to Duct Tape to fix any type of gear > problem, it can actually do more long term harm than good. As you will see > in the book, Seam Grip<http://www.avantlink.com/click.php?tt=cl&mi=10248&pw=24137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rei.com%2Fproduct%2F603034%2Fgear-aid-seam-grip-seam-sealer>and Tenacious > Tape<http://www.avantlink.com/click.php?tt=cl&mi=10248&pw=24137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rei.com%2Fproduct%2F783045%2Fgear-aid-tenacious-tape-repair-tape>or Tear Aid are a much better solution and should be in everyone's repair > kit. Kristin does actually give you some good uses for Duct Tape in case > you just can't go without. > > I am guilty of not always carrying a repair kit with me but after reading > this book, I put together my own lightweight one (Seam Grip, Tenacious > Tape, alcohol pads, multi-tool with pliers, tent pole repair sleeve- all in > a Ziploc baggie). You never know when it will come in handy and you will > quickly come to learn that Seam Grip and Tenacious Tape can fix almost > anything. > > [image: Backpacking repair kit]<http://www.thegearcaster.com/.a/6a01156f7533eb970c017ee4723b87970d-pi> > > <http://www.thegearcaster.com/.a/6a01156f7533eb970c017ee4723b87970d-pi>So, > instead of throwing out your gear as soon as it needs repair or taking it > back to REI, first check out the Complete Guide To Outdoor Gear Maintenance > and Repair to see if you can fix it yourself. If nothing else, you will be > rewarded with a big feeling of MacGyver style accomplishment. > > Bottom Line: Much like Zin has become the home bike maintenance bible, the > Complete Guide To Outdoor Gear Maintenance and Repair should become a gear > room shelf staple for any outdoor enthusiast. > > The Complete Guide to Outdoor Gear Maintenance and Repair<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0762778318/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0762778318&linkCode=as2&tag=thegea-20>retails for $19.95 and is available now. > > <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheGearcaster?a=2jVnLF136lk:oogHpjkj3pE:yIl2AUoC8zA> > <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheGearcaster?a=2jVnLF136lk:oogHpjkj3pE:qj6IDK7rITs> > <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheGearcaster?a=2jVnLF136lk:oogHpjkj3pE:gIN9vFwOqvQ> > > > > Things you can do from here: > > - Subscribe to the GearCaster<http://www.google.com/reader/view/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegearcaster.com%2Fthe_gearcaster%2Fatom.xml?source=email>using > *Google Reader* > - Get started using Google Reader<http://www.google.com/reader/?source=email>to easily keep up with > *all your favorite sites* > > > > > >